The true cost of a crown

Sunday, February 19th, 2017

I recommend a crown or an onlay to lots of my patients. It’s one of the most common procedures we do and we do it very well if I say so myself. A crown is created by a lab and cemented over top of a patient’s existing tooth structure to restore form and function and to reinforce that patient’s tooth. They’re very predictable and work really well.

“How much does this wonderful service cost?” you might ask.

The answer is going to vary by geography but it’s typical for a crown to cost around $1000. A little less in some place, a lot more in others.

“A thousand bucks? You’ve got to be kidding me! That’s a lot of money for one tooth! Who do you think I am, Bill Gates?”

I hear you. $1000 is a lot of money. Who wouldn’t want to spend it on something else. Something fun like a phone, some shoes, a trip or whatever. But let’s take a look at that $1000.

Our office charges slightly less than that $1000, but the math is easier with $1000.

Most dental benefits companies will replace a crown after it’s been in the mouth 5 years. That is not typical, though. My experience tells me that crowns typically last 15 years or more if the patient has good oral hygiene, good saliva flow and has risk factors like dry mouth and high decay rate under control. Lets take 15 years as a reasonable lifespan for a crown.

Now be honest…what other things do you own that have lasted for 15 years? Is your car 15 years old? How about your phone? Your shoes? Bottom line, there’s almost nothing that you spend money on (sometimes a LOT of money on) that lasts as long as dentistry does in a healthy mouth.

A $1000 crown costs you $1000 on the day that you pay for it (or less if you are using a dental benefit…your mileage may vary).

If that crown lasts for 15 years, you’ve amortized your investment in that crown to $66.66 per year. So for $67 you’ve got a beautiful and functional tooth that you probably don’t have to give another thought.

Is $67/year a little too abstract for you? How about this. You’re talking about $5.55/month over 15 years for that crown. One less latte from Starbucks will give you pain-free beauty and function.

OK…let’s get stupid here. 18 cents per day. That crown is three nickels and three pennies per day for 15 years of chewing, smiling and not thinking about it. I’d say it’s worth it in spades.

It actually gets better, though. I’ve seen crowns last longer than 15 years. If you’re really good about taking care of your teeth and watching your diet there is no reason a crown cannot last longer. I’m not going to pretend that ever crown is problem free. To be honest, if we’re trying to restore a particularly broken down tooth, it’s tougher to get that predictability and longevity. Furthermore, some teeth require root canal treatment (again…the more beat up the tooth, the more likely this is). So I don’t want to oversimplify.

The point is to look beyond the price tag that you see in the office and think of the cost over the life of the crown. These restorations feel expensive on the front end, but if you look at the long run they’re a pretty great bet!

Did this make you feel thrifty? Did it make you want to invest in a new crown? I’d love to hear about it! You can share any Mead Family Dental post with a “Like” on Facebook, a “+1″ on Google+ or you can even “Tweet” it with Twitter! All you need to do is hover over the heart shaped button next to the title of the post. Or you can leave a comment by clicking on the balloon shaped icon next to the title.